“…Onegin, which opens the Met’s season on Monday, has taken an unusually precipitous tumble from sure thing—a pinnacle of Russian music, featuring the most eminent Russian soprano and Russian conductor of our time, in a production by a widely admired theater director making her Met debut—to headache-plagued.” [New York Times]

UPDATE: A video preview of the new Elisir follows the jump. La Cieca’s spy reports: “Bartlett Sher‘s warm and winning new production of Donizetti’s L‘Elisir d’Amore was presented at today’s annual Opening Night free public dress rehearsal. Read more »

“Upon my word,” exclaims La Cieca (pictured at right, in the background), “I could almost swear I see a few empty seats on the other side of theater for the Met’s opening night performance of L’elisir d’amore!”